Material from Pollitt’s trip to India, 1953-1954

This collection is derived from the personal papers of one of the titans of British communism, Harry Pollitt. Born in 1890, Pollitt embraced communism after witnessing the hardships inflicted on his family by poverty. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1920, before going on to assume the crucial role of General Secretary in 1929. 

His role as leader of the CPGB is remembered for his unwavering support of Stalin and the Soviet Union, as well as overseeing the CPGB’s most successful years in terms of influence and mass appeal around the time of the Second World War. As such, this collection offers a vivid insight into Pollitt’s personal and political thought, and the complex machinations of being premier of the CPGB.

This collection is accompanied by three contextual essays written by Professor Kevin Morgan.

During his twilight years, Pollitt took to being the international face of the Communist Party of Great Britain, traversing across the world to attend events and congresses by other communist parties.

Contains newspaper cuttings reporting Pollitt’s departure for India, a photo album documenting Pollitt’s time in India, handwritten and typescript correspondence concerning the trip, Pollitt’s detailed writings outlining his activities in India in diary form, the transcript of Pollitt’s address to the 3rd Congress of the Communist Party of India.